Many journalists relate to and agree with the idea that immersing or
involving yourself in a story can be both an advantage and disadvantage. Immersion takes mental, physical, and emotion
tolls on a journalist.
One perspective of a journalist
who immersed herself in the world of psychiatric hospital patients, Nellie Bly,
put it this way: “I took upon myself to enact the part of a poor, unfortunate
crazy girl, and felt it my duty not to shirk any of the disagreeable results
that should follow” (1). She knew
beforehand she would be affected by the experience but not positive just how
profoundly. After the experience, she
quotes, “I had looked forward so eagerly to leaving the horrible place, yet
when my release came and I knew that God's sunlight was to be free for me
again, there was a certain pain in leaving.“ (2). Her experience and research into the situation
did bring some change, however; “I hardly expected the grand jury to sustain
me, after they saw everything different from what it had been while I was
there. Yet they did, and their report to the court advises all the changes made
that I had proposed” (3).
The question posed, then, is: Is
it worth it? Is it worth getting involved in? What will be the consequences? In
what ways will you never be the same? We can look to Nellie Bly’s example and
many other journalists’ in situations such as these, but we must also consider
the peculiarity about a specific situation if one ever arises. Journalists must
consider the consequences of getting involved and must be prepared to report a
story with a considerable bias toward the situation.
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